the Fierce & the LintKing's Amber Bits

To start with, in a Throne War, the GM in addition to having to balance all of the "reality" of the situation, has to balance the player's out in allowing them to get to a goal: achieve the Throne. In games with my crew, that usually is an excuse for a murder spree. So, with maintaining the first part (some kind of rationale for why things work certain ways) I need to allow PC death in such a way that the player doesn't feel shorted. (I prefer a good grin and a, "Yeah, he got me.")

One of my houserules is that it takes "two mortal wounds" to kill an immortal. (In a Throne War situation; it wouldn't necessarily help anyone in G&G, for example.) (I was trying to work out a inverse ratio between Warfare and Endurance ranks for this, where Endurance ended up taking 2 plus #players minus rank shots to kill, and Warfare required a character to make #players plus rank minus 2+Good Stuff shots before a mortal wound...but that last didn't work, so I stopped messing with it.) I was trying to make sure that each attribute related to a potential source of death (or, in the case of Endurance, life.)

But what about having your guards/allies/"simple fisherfolk" kill another PC?

In most cases I'd try to avoid it, of course, as one of the few reasons I run Throne Wars is pretty much to start honing player instincts into the Amber rule-set, and that suggests that death has to be meaningful. On the other hand, I am reminded that once Corwin ascended the last steps of Kolvir, he was overwhelmed by numbers. No, one, maybe even three guards he could have defeated on his own, but twenty?

The Loyalists attribute, in some part, represents that. It reflects a variety of social notes, including to some degree your PC's social charisma, the number of allies and general support amongst "the people," (popularity), sometimes I've also had it reflect birth rank, personal "majesty," and other related traits. Selling down in Loyalists can mean that you're presumed heir but no one likes you, that you're an "unknown" amongst the family, that you're constantly being mistaken for a maid, and similar.

In steps of influence, Endurance is first because it affects the PC directly, then Psyche, as it influences the PC and can radiate to someone else, then Strength because it affects the PC and the rest of the world around, then Warfare because it can affect all that and be extended to troops, etc., and then Loyalists would be the next social circle.

Does it answer the question asked as a social mechanic? I am afraid that it is only as effective as the player and GM using it, but it's been an appropriate stop-gap measure in many places where I've used it.